Penance and Good works
What is penance?
The Catholic Catechism teaches the following:
“Raised up from sin, the sinner must still recover his full spiritual health by doing something more to make amends for the sin: he must ‘make satisfaction for’ or ‘expiate’ his sins. This satisfaction is called ‘penance’ ” (para. 1459).
And,
“The Church, who through the bishop and his priests forgives sins in the name of Jesus Christ and determines the manner of satisfaction...” (para. 1448).
It is true that something had to be done to make amends for our sins, because as the Bible teaches,
“...the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).
But instead of telling us that we must make amends, expiate, or make satisfaction for our sins, 1 John 2:2 teaches that Jesus is the expiation for our sins:
“He [Jesus] is expiation for our sins...” (1 John 2:2).
And Romans 3:24 and 25 teach that Christians
“...are justified freely by his grace through the redemption in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as an expiation, through faith, by his blood, to prove his righteousness...”
When the Bible tells us that Jesus is the expiation for our sins, it means that He has paid the entire penalty and has made complete satisfaction for our sins. Therefore, since there is nothing more for us to do to expiate our sins, we are justified freely. If there was something more for us to do, we would have to pay a price, and we would not be justified freely. We do not need to expiate our own sins, because Jesus already has. We do not have to do anything to earn that expiation; all we have to do is accept it. That is why the Bible tells us,
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
Eternal life is not something we can earn; it is a free gift from God.
Are we reconciled to God through penance?
According to the Catholic Catechism, yes, because it says,
“It is through the sacrament of Penance that the baptized can be reconciled with God and with the Church...” (para. 980).
In contrast, the Bible says in Romans 5:10,
“...while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son.”
(Romans 5:10)
And 2 Corinthians 5:18 states that God has
“...reconciled us to himself through Christ...”
(2 Corinthians 5:18)
Therefore, penance is not needed for us to be reconciled to God, because we are reconciled to God through Christ!
Do good works contribute to the forgiveness of sins?
The Catholic Catechism teaches that
“Reading Sacred Scripture, praying the Liturgy of the Hours and the Our Father—every sincere act of worship or devotion revives the spirit of conversion and repentance within us and contributes to the forgiveness of sins” (para. 1437).
Do sincere acts of worship or devotion contribute to the forgiveness of sins? If they do, then forgiveness is not given freely but must be at least partially earned, merited, or deserved.
In contrast, the Bible teaches that
“In him [Jesus] we have redemption by his blood, the forgiveness of transgressions [sins], in accord with the riches of his grace that he lavished upon us” (Ephesians 1:7, 8).
We have forgiveness of sins in accord with the riches of God’s grace, which He has lavished upon us. Think about these two points: (1) grace is undeserved and unmerited favor, and (2) something that is lavished is given freely and abundantly. So, in accord with the riches of God’s grace, even though we do not deserve or merit forgiveness, our sins are forgiven freely and abundantly through the blood of Jesus. We receive forgiveness of sins through His blood when we confess our sins to God. First John 1:9 says,
“If we acknowledge our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from every wrongdoing.” (John 1:9)
Therefore, no matter how sincere our acts of worship or devotion may be, they do not contribute to the forgiveness of our sins, because we are forgiven freely by the blood of Jesus.
Are we saved through penance and faith?
The Catholic Catechism teaches that it is through penance and faith that we are saved:
“In converting to Christ through penance and faith, the sinner passes from death to life and ‘does not come into judgment’ ” (para. 1470).
This passage from the Catholic Catechism references John 5:24 from the Bible. Let’s see what this verse says in the Bible:
“Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes in the one who sent me has eternal life and will not come to condemnation, but has passed from death to life.” (John 5:24)
Jesus tells us here that if we hear and believe, we “will not come to condemnation,” or judgment, but have “passed from death to life.” Hearing and believing is faith, but penance is not even indirectly mentioned here. Yet the Catholic Catechism tells us it is through “penance and faith” that we pass from death to life and do not come into judgment.
Why does the Catholic Catechism add penance to what the Bible says? It is not through penance or any other works that we attain our salvation. Ephesians 2:8 and 9 state,
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)
These verses tell us that we are saved by grace through faith, that salvation is a gift of God, and that it is not by works. No one in Heaven will be able to boast that they are there because they were good enough or because they paid off their debt or because they did enough penance. Those who will be in Heaven will be those who have faith in Jesus and know that He has paid the full price for their sins.
The Catholic Catechism has added the requirement of penance for salvation:
“The Fathers of the Church present this sacrament [penance] as ‘the second plank [of salvation] . . .’ ” (para. 1446).
Penance is the second plank of salvation? The Bible gives us only one “plank” of salvation: faith in Jesus Christ. The Catholic Catechism states that the Fathers of the Church presented penance as the second plank of salvation, and it quotes one Church Father, Tertullian (d. about 240). Stating that the Fathers of the Church presented penance as the second plank of salvation sounds as if all of the Church Fathers held this belief. At least one Church Father, Clement of Rome (d. 97), who is quoted five times in the Catholic Catechism, did not believe that penance is the second plank of salvation. Clement wrote:
“And we who through his will have been called in Christ Jesus are justified, not by ourselves, or through our wisdom or understanding or godliness, or the works that we have done in holiness of heart, but by faith, by which all men from the beginning have been justified by Almighty God, to whom be glory world without end. Amen” (Clement of Rome, First Epistle, Chapter 32).
This is another example of how the Catholic Catechism quotes Fathers of the Church when their statements agree with Catholic doctrine but avoids them when they do not agree. It also shows again that although the phrase “the Fathers of the Church” sounds as if all the respected early Christians believed the same things, the Fathers of the Church actually had beliefs that differed significantly from one another, and even sometimes contradicted one another and the Catholic Catechism.
Can we be righteous by our good works and actions so as to obtain eternal salvation?
The Catholic Catechism teaches that we may obtain eternal life through our life and actions:
“...‘we all rise together and offer prayers for ourselves . . . and for all others, wherever they may be, so that we may be found righteous by our life and actions, and faithful to the commandments, so as to obtain eternal salvation’ ” (para. 1345).
However, the Bible tells us that we are made righteous, not through our actions, but through Jesus’ obedience:
“...through the obedience of one [Jesus] the many will be made righteous” (Romans 5:19).
Man cannot be 100 percent obedient to the law, but Jesus could and was. Therefore, it is not through our life, our actions, and our obedience to the commandments that we are found righteous. It is through Jesus’ obedience that we are made righteous. The Bible further confirms this fact when it tells us,
“For all who depend on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, ‘Cursed be everyone who does not persevere in doing all the things written in the book of the law.’ And that no one is justified before God by the law is clear, for ‘the one who is righteous by faith will live’ ” (Galatians 3:10, 11).
The Catholic Catechism also tells us,
“Moved by the Holy Spirit, we can merit for ourselves and for others all the graces needed to attain eternal life...” (para. 2027).
We cannot merit God’s grace. Grace by definition is undeserved or unmerited favor. Even the Catholic Catechism states,
“Our justification comes from the grace of God. Grace is favor, the free and undeserved help that God gives us to respond to his call...” (para. 1996; italics in original).
The Bible tells us,
“...all have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God. They [believers in Jesus] are justified freely by his grace through the redemption in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as an expiation, through faith, by his blood, to prove his righteousness because of the forgiveness of sins previously committed, through the forbearance of God—to prove his righteousness in the present time, that he might be righteous and justify the one who has faith in Jesus. What occasion is there then for boasting? It is ruled out. On what principle, that of works? No, rather on the principle of faith. For we consider that a person is justified by faith apart from works of the law” (Romans 3:23–28).
The Bible also teaches that as Christians,
“...we have believed in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified” (Galatians 2:16).
The Bible plainly tells us in these verses that we are not justified by works, but by faith apart from works of the law! The Bible further tells us that those who attempt to be justified by their works have fallen from grace and are not getting closer to God, but are actually separated from Christ!
“You are separated from Christ, you who are trying to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace” (Galatians 5:4).
The Bible also tells us,
“...how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works to worship the living God” (Hebrews 9:14).
If we are doing good deeds (good works) to try to obtain eternal life, they are “dead works.” They are being done to earn something for oneself out of love for self and not out of selfless love for God. They are being done for selfish reasons and not out of pure love for God. When someone tries to be good enough to earn his or her salvation, that person is attempting to establish his or her own righteousness and is not submitting to God’s righteousness. As the apostle Paul wrote,
“Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God on their behalf is for salvation. I testify with regard to them that they have zeal for God, but it is not discerning. For, in their unawareness of the righteousness that comes from God and their attempt to establish their own [righteousness], they did not submit to the righteousness of God” (Romans 10:1–3).
Although Paul wrote this passage specifically about the Israelites, the message applies to anyone in the same situation. Paul was writing about people who have a zeal for God but who are unaware that righteousness comes from God and that we must submit to God’s righteousness. Such people may go to church every Sunday, maybe even daily, and they may try to do all the right things. But they continue trying to be good enough to establish their own righteousness to enter Heaven instead of trusting in God and submitting to His righteousness. Therefore, instead of growing closer to God, they are actually separated from Him.
How does one receive God’s righteousness? The apostle Paul told us that it is not through good works, but through faith in Christ. He wrote,
“...I even consider everything as a loss because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have accepted the loss of all things and I consider them so much rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having any righteousness of my own based on the law but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God, depending on faith” (Philippians 3:8, 9).
He also wrote,
“But when one does not work, yet believes in the one who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness” (Romans 4:5).
The Bible clearly teaches that we cannot establish our own righteousness through our own good works and actions to obtain eternal life. Instead, when we stop working at establishing our own righteousness and submit to God’s righteousness by accepting Christ through faith (John 1:12), we don’t have to worry or be concerned about whether we are good enough or have done enough good to have earned eternal life. Eternal life is truly a gift from God received through faith in Jesus. Romans 6:23 states,
“...the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
When we have received and submitted to the righteousness of God through faith in Christ and received forgiveness of sins through Jesus’ blood, our consciences are cleansed from dead works; we are then free to truly worship God with our good works and actions. We are then no longer using our good works to try to get something from God. We are, instead, reconciled to God, and our good works and actions are pure worship to our God out of pure love for Him and thankfulness to Him. Yes, we should do good works, but they do not contribute to the forgiveness of our sins, and we are not saved by them. The good works that we do are, or should be, the result of and the expression of our faith. Any good works we do were prepared by God for the way in which we should live, as is evident in Ephesians 2:10:
“For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them.”
We should do our good works, not in an attempt to obtain salvation or to gain praise for ourselves but to bring glory to God.
“Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father” (Matthew 5:16).
If good works did indeed cleanse us from sin, how much would we need to do? How many acts of “sincere worship or devotion” would we have to do to attain complete forgiveness? How much would be enough? And what would happen to us if we were not completely forgiven at our death? The Catholic Catechism teaches that if we have not completely made satisfaction for our sins (or the temporal punishment due us) while we were on earth, we must be purified from our sins in purgatory, the topic of the next chapter.
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